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作画 (zuò huà) — to create a painting, to paint (in a traditional/artistic context)

Definition

A formal, artistic way to say 'paint' or 'create a painting' — emphasizes the creative act itself, not the tools. Use it in writing about art, not casual everyday speech.

verb
to create a paintingto paint (in a traditional/artistic context)

Examples

  • 作画。
    Tā xǐ huan zài zhōu mò zuò huà.
    He likes to paint on weekends.
  • 。
    Tā zuò le yì zhěng tiān de huà.
    He painted for a whole day.
  • 作画。
    Tā xǐ huan zài ān jìng de dì fāng zuò huà.
    She likes to paint in a quiet place.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

作zuòmake
画huàpicture

作 “make” and 画 “picture” combine to mean producing a painting.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
乍
乍zhà作zuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 亻 comes from 人, meaning 'person', and the right side 乍 gives the sound.

Open 作 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 畫; 画 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
聿聿yùbrush
Sound part声符shēngfú
規
規guī畫huà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 畫 pairs 聿, a brush, with 規 for its sound. The simplified 画 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the old parts.

Open 画 →
Appears in
Art & Fine Arts

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